Bust that myth: Here are the tricks that actually save money

Quick summary

Common travel myths, such as booking on specific days or deleting browser cookies for better prices, are not supported by evidence.
Airline and hotel prices fluctuate dynamically, making it difficult to predict the best time to book; flexibility with travel dates can often yield savings.
Budget carriers are not always the cheapest option once additional fees are considered, and using points or miles is not always the best value.
Lounge access and upgrades are increasingly available to non-elite travelers, often for a fee or through certain cards.

What to consider

Booking refundable rates allows you to rebook if prices drop, potentially saving money on hotels and flights.
Travelers should compare total costs, including extra fees, when considering budget airlines versus mainline carriers.
Tools and calculators can help determine whether using points or cash offers better value for a specific booking.

What you'll miss from the article

A detailed breakdown of persistent travel myths and practical strategies to maximize savings and comfort when booking travel.

Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.

We’ve all heard the myths about booking on a Tuesday at midnight or deleting the “cookies” from your browser to score lower prices. But those old legends are simply not true.

How about booking right when the airline or hotel schedule opens to save money? Also, not generally true. That’s a hard lesson I’ve had to learn personally.

We are here to help, though. There are plenty of ways to save money and travel better. Read on as we do some myth-busting and tell you how to really save money.

Myth 1: You have to book on specific days and at specific times

This is an old legend that has been around since the dawn of deregulation, and it’s a question we get asked constantly. However, there is no truth to the idea of the perfect day of the week or time of day to book. The truth is that airline (and hotel) prices are in constant flux. It’s very hard to predict, especially in the days of dynamic pricing.

If you really want to save money, try traveling on certain days of the week. Generally, it’s cheaper to fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays when there is less competition from business travelers. That’s also when you’ll find it’s less crowded, too.

Myth 2: Deleting your cookies or going 'incognito' on your browser helps

Hawaiian Airlines A330 in Honolulu. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

This is another myth that there is simply no evidence to support. Airlines are not tracking your browsing history and raising prices if they think you are looking at booking — even though it can sometimes seem that way. The truth is that airlines constantly change prices, but not in response to individual behavior. Could AI tools someday change that? Of course, but we are not there yet.

Meanwhile, there are a host of new AI tools that can help you beat the airlines at their own game. Once you’ve booked (as long as you didn’t book basic economy), you can get a trip credit if the price drops before your flight. This is a little-known hack that I’ve written about for TPG, and one that has saved me literally hundreds of dollars.

Myth 3: Booking early is always best

Airlines release their schedules about a year in advance, and hotels a little more. Generally, you are not getting a better deal by booking that far out, though. In fact, you may pay much more. TPG advises travelers to book one or two months ahead of time for domestic flights and three to five months ahead of time for international flights.

Of course, with jet fuel prices soaring, we are now advising people to book way in advance to get ahead of further price increases. You can always get a trip credit if the price drops, as we mentioned above.

Myth 4: Budget airlines are always cheaper

Allegiant Air Airbus A319s at Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). KEVIN CARTER/GETTY IMAGES

It may seem, at first blush, that low-cost carriers will be the cheapest. But do the math carefully. Compare the costs of added fees for bags, seat assignments, early boarding and even ticket printing versus the costs of a mainline carrier. You can sometimes get a cheaper ticket by booking basic economy on a major airline (especially if you have a cobranded credit card that comes with some perks).

Myth 5: It’s always best to use your points or miles

This is where a TPG reader can really come out ahead. We have a handy calculator that gives you an idea of your points value. It can be an easy way to get a gut check. There are also tools like Points Path that sit on top of your browser and show you if you should use points or cash on a particular flight. You’ll always want to try to get at least 1 cent per point for your miles, though I’m more likely to aim for 2 or 3 cents.

Myth 6: Hotel prices only go up

Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

Just as airfare has become increasingly dynamic, hotel pricing has become similar. This is true for both cash and points: Prices fluctuate constantly. But, as long as you book a refundable rate, you can reprice your hotel room if the price drops. This is a mistake I used to make all the time. I used to book a room and forget about it, but that probably cost me a lot of money.

These days, I keep a close eye on hotels (and flights) I’ve already booked, and if I see a drop, I cancel and rebook or get a trip credit. You can track your own flights (and now hotels) with Google Flights.

Myth 7: Airport lounges are only for frequent flyers

Do you look longingly at the folks heading into the bank or airline lounge and think that will never be you? Wrong!

All of us can get into airline lounges with the right cards. If you are flying Delta, you’ll need a Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or an American Express Platinum Card®, for example. Some American Airlines cards come with an Admirals Club membership or even some lounge passes. But that Amex Platinum card will also get you into a worldwide lounge network of more than 1,500 lounges.

Myth 8: You need status to get an upgrade

Once upon a time, upgrades went only to the most frequent flyers or those who could afford to buy first class outright.

No longer.

Most major airlines now sell upgrades, and the prices can be very low. In fact, flyers with elite status are getting fewer and fewer free upgrades. Instead, non-elites are being sold those seats at a discount.

I’ve seen transcontinental tickets on Alaska for sale for as low as $200, with a buy-up to first class. On American, I’ve purchased a business-class seat for just $291 several times.

At TPG, we recommend paying no more than $50 per hour on domestic routes. So a five-hour flight should be around $250 to be worth it. For international, we say $100 is a fair per-hour price (especially on an overnight flight with lie-flat seats).

Bottom line

View of fireworks from Sheraton Waikiki. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

There are many travel legends that persist year after year, no matter how hard we try to combat them. While you won't score a deal by booking on a random day at a random time or clearing your browsing history before you book, there are plenty of ways to save. In addition to the methods listed above, try booking vacation packages with airlines like American. The carrier's vacation booking portal has saved me up to 40% on business-class flights when I combined those tickets with hotels.

I also like using Google Flights Explore to search for cheap destinations when I have some flexibility. I wrote a guide to using the service.

There are plenty more ways to save and travel better, but hopefully we've helped debunk some of the ones that don't work.

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